1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical coherence tomography (OCT) technique using interference of multi-wavelength light enables acquisition of a high-resolution tomographic image of a sample (in particular, a fundus of the eye).
In recent years, an ophthalmologic OCT apparatus can acquire, in addition to a normal OCT image of a shape of a fundus tissue, a polarization-sensitive OCT image using a polarization parameter (i.e., retardation and orientation), which is an optical characteristic of the fundus tissue.
The polarization-sensitive OCT can form the polarization-sensitive OCT image using the polarization parameter, and perform distinguishing and segmentation of the fundus tissue. International Publication No. WO 2010/122118 A1 discusses a polarization-sensitive OCT which employs a light beam that has been modulated to a circularly-polarized beam as a measuring beam for examining the sample. Detection is then performed by splitting the interference beam into two linearly-polarized beams perpendicular to each other, so that the polarization-sensitive OCT image is generated.
However, International Publication No. WO 2010/122118 A1 does not discuss performing diagnosis support, i.e., providing easily-comparable images, which is the original objective of the polarization-sensitive OCT.